North Korean table tennis players News: North Korean Olympians in trouble over selfie
Medal winners in the mixed doubles Olympic table tennis competition take a selfie on the podium Courtesy: World Table Tennis via X)
In a fleeting but powerful demonstration of the unifying potential of sport, a selfie taken by North and South Korean table tennis players at the Paris Olympics captured the world’s attention, symbolizing a rare moment of camaraderie between two countries separated by one of the world’s most fortified borders. However, that moment of goodwill appears to have landed the North Korean athletes in serious trouble, according to a report The Guardian.
The image, which showed South Korean mixed doubles players Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin alongside North Korean duo Kim Kum-yong and Ri Jong-sik laughing together on the podium, quickly became one of the most celebrated moments of the Games. Chinese gold medalists Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha also appeared in the photo, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of likes on the official Olympics Instagram page and was recognized by People magazine as one of the 12 greatest sportsmanship moments in Paris.
However, recent reports indicate that this act of friendship could have serious consequences for the North Korean players. According to the Daily NK, a Seoul-based website that focuses on North Korean affairs, Kim and Ri are now under “ideological surveillance” after their return to Pyongyang.
The site, citing a senior source, revealed that the athletes, along with members of the North Korean Olympic Committee, were subjected to a month-long “ideological scrubbing” – standard procedure for people exposed to life outside the isolated communist state.
The North Korean government reportedly ordered its athletes not to compete with competitors from other countries, including South Korea, warning that those who did could be punished. The table tennis players in particular were criticized in an internal report for “smirking” next to athletes from what the regime describes as its “number one enemy.”
The selfie came amid rising tensions between the two countries. The Korean War (1950-53) ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, and recent developments including joint military exercises with South Korea, the US and Japan, as well as closer ties between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, have further strained relations.
The fate of the North Korean athletes remains uncertain. The Korea Times speculated that any punishments could depend on the level of remorse the athletes show for their brief lapses in vigilance during the Games. North Korean athletes are subject to a rigorous three-phase “ideological review” upon returning from international events, culminating in self-reflection sessions in which they are expected to criticize both the “inappropriate behavior” of their teammates and their own behavior.
While the nature of the possible punishments remains unclear, Human Rights Watch condemned the situation and called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to protect athletes from all forms of intimidation and abuse.
In a statement, the organization stressed that North Korean athletes should not fear retaliation for actions that reflect the Olympic values of respect and friendship.
Kim and Ri’s case is not an isolated one. The Daily NK recalled the harsh treatment of the North Korean soccer team after their poor performance at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where they lost all three of their group stage matches. The players were reportedly punished for six hours, while their coach, Kim Jung-hun, was forced to work on a construction site
First publication: 02 Sep 2024 | 17:04 IST